Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

The Climate + Clean Energy Equity Fund (The Equity Fund) is building the multi-state infrastructure and community power needed to end climate change and to create an equitable clean energy future. The Equity Fund is strategically building power by:

• Investing in the leadership and organizing of diverse communities (Black, Latinx, AAPI, Indigenous people, and communities bearing the brunt of climate change);
• Engaging voters in these communities through nonpartisan civic engagement campaigns; and
• Winning climate and clean energy policy solutions that reflect the priorities of communities and advance racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Founded in 2016, The Equity Fund is already partnering with organizations in 13 states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and will expand its reach to additional states in the coming years.

Grassroots groups advocating for and organizing people hard hit by climate change – communities of color, indigenous, working class and rural communities – often lack resources, staffing, and access to develop relationships with foundation funders and major donors. Yet, they are accomplishing critical work to build the collective power of communities most hurt by climate change and the use of dirty fossil fuels and lead the movement towards an equitable, clean energy future.

The Equity Fund is a conduit for foundations and donors to partner and support these grassroots organizations across the country. Because of their expertise and deep relationships with community-led groups working at the intersection of climate change, racial justice, and economic equity, they can identify and nurture local grantee partners that have large-scale bases of members and track records of winning policy victories in their cities and states. They share lessons learned from their grantee partners so that foundations and donors can better understand how grassroots groups are building power to advance climate solutions and then develop and coordinate funding strategies that will have the greatest results.

The Equity Fund is seeking nominations and applications for the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships role (VP). This new leader will be a strategic thought partner to the President and CEO and will collaboratively lead the organization’s efforts to articulate and implement a strategy to transform climate philanthropy that aligns with the Equity Fund’s theory of impact. The VP will take a leadership role in organizing philanthropic partnerships to support the Equity Fund’s programs and shift the field’s resources towards strategies that build grassroots power in diverse communities to win equitable climate and clean energy policies.

The person holding this position will also work for the Climate Equity Action Fund. The Climate Equity Action Fund is a coordinated project in the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization, under a resource sharing agreement between the New Venture Fund and Sixteen Thirty Fund. The responsibilities will be overseen by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, but the activities of the Climate Equity Action Fund may include raising resources to fund grassroots organizations to build political power and support partisan candidate work.

The new Vice President will be a politically astute philanthropic organizer who is excited by the opportunity to leverage the power of philanthropy in support of diverse, high impact grantee partners on the ground who will determine the ability of the climate movement to make concrete progress over the next decade.

OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEW VICE PRESIDENT

The VP of Strategic Partnerships will report to the President and CEO and lead a strategy to grow the Equity Fund’s resources at scale and expand strategic partnerships to increase philanthropic support for strategies that advance equity and power-building across the field. The VP will have the following opportunities for impact:

Provide strategy, vision, and leadership to the next-level build of a strategic partnerships function for the Equity Fund.

The VP will work closely with the President and CEO to lead a strategy centered around equity in climate philanthropy by creating and implementing a multi-year strategy to guide the organization’s growth and transform climate philanthropy. They will develop close collaborative partnerships with the Equity Fund’s programmatic staff to ensure that the Strategic Partnerships Team is closely attuned to the needs of the organization and its grantees. The VP will be a thought partner to the President and CEO and the programmatic staff and will be capable of developing a partnerships and fundraising plan that aligns with the Equity Fund’s theory of change.

Successful candidates will deeply value racial equity and justice and will ensure that all narrative building and fundraising strategy centers the unique capacity of the Equity Fund to build the power of communities to successfully advance and implement ambitious and equitable climate and clean energy policies.

Lead and mentor the Strategic Partnerships Team and contribute to the culture of the Equity Fund.

The VP will be a seasoned team leader and will be tasked with analyzing the personnel needs of the Strategic Partnerships team to ensure they have the capacity to support the Equity Fund’s goals. They will recruit, supervise, and mentor Strategic Partnerships team members and lead team development that fosters a sense of cohesion, collaboration, and open communication among team members and across the organization. The VP will also provide executive-level leadership to the organization as a whole and will actively contribute to the Equity Fund’s culture.

Strategic Communications and Donor Cultivation and Stewardship.

The new VP will effectively leverage the Equity Fund’s model to lift up their grantees and establish relationships with a diverse array of funders who will both support the Equity Fund’s internal development and its grantees across the country. The VP will guide their team to identify emerging opportunities in the field for the cultivation of new aligned partnerships with foundations, high-net worth individuals, and other philanthropic entities. The VP will encourage and support an environment of continuous learning across the organization to ensure that funding proposals and case materials accurately reflect the ways in which the organization is reaching its goals and objectives.

The VP will set a strategy for the Strategic Partnerships team to develop multi-year engagement plans that support lasting relationships between their philanthropic partners, donors, and allies. The VP will also provide guidance and vision for their team and the organization’s communications staff to develop high quality collateral that can be used to appeal to a diverse array of funders while centering racial equity and justice.

Lead the development of effective fundraising systems and processes.

As the Equity Fund continues to scale its impact and transitions away from its fiscal sponsor, the VP will lead and oversee the creation and implementation of development operations and processes that support the Equity Fund’s continued growth and will work closely with program staff to ensure that these systems empower the staff to meet funding, reporting, and compliance deadlines in a timely and accurate manner. The VP will guide the Strategic Partnerships team as they systematize effective processes and operations, such as portfolio and moves management tracking, revenue forecasting, internal communications, leadership engagement, and strategy exercises to maintain momentum and make progress toward goals. The VP will provide leadership across the organization in the development of best practices, including but not limited to relationship and moves management, donor acquisition, retention, upgrade strategies, prospect research, and relationship mapping.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The new VP of Strategic Partnerships will be committed to racial, economic, and social justice. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Strategic Vision and Core Knowledge

• Broad knowledge of the climate philanthropy field and an understanding of the historical context, institutions, and systems that combine to compound the effects of climate change on people of color and other disenfranchised groups in the United States.
• Ability to apply a macro view on relevant trends in climate change philanthropy and fundraising with a strong curiosity and interest in tracking the needs and developing areas of the field.
• A proven thought leader who understands and is able to articulate the value proposition of an intermediary funder within the ecosystem it operates in.
• A track record of designing fund development strategies to raise resources at scale over multiple years, and ability to operationalize that strategy through aligned and engaged partnerships for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) programs.
• Demonstrated passion for and investment in advancing justice and equity. Highly developed critical consciousness and a combination of professional and lived experience aligned with the Equity Fund’s mission and values.

Management and Team Leadership

• Experience mentoring, developing, and providing leadership to high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams and partners that engages staff to achieve project/program goals.
• Prioritizes a relational work environment that builds trust and seeks to foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and integrity.
• Commitment to creating a strong and healthy workplace that reflects internally the values the Equity Fund advocates for externally and that centers diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Cultivation and Stewardship

• A track record of building and maintaining strategic philanthropic partnerships and high-net worth donor relationships for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) opportunities.
• 10+ years professional experience and demonstrated leadership in fund development and philanthropy.
• Strong convening and facilitation skills and an authentic interest in listening to and learning from others; ability to establish trust with a diverse set of stakeholders and a commitment to honoring and elevating community expertise and wisdom.
• Demonstrated experience creating strong and sustainable relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders; adept at identifying and cultivating funders whose strategies align with their own and setting achievable expectations.
• Superb communication and external relations skills and demonstrated success in building an organization’s profile and reputation in local, regional, national, and professional communities.

Systems and Processes

• Experience designing and building fundraising systems and processes and a willingness to rethink or improve upon established systems and processes.
• Ability to assess and identify pain points in a growing organization and devise strategies to ensure that processes and systems are being developed in a consistent manner to guide growth.
• An inclusive, collaborative, and agile management style and the ability to bring joy, good humor, and purpose to the work environment.